Key-zither.



L. JUST.

KEY ZITHER.

APPLICATION HLED AUG.9. 1916.

1 ,223,072. Patented Api'. 17, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A TTORNEYS L. JUST.

KEY ZITHER.

rammed Apr. 17, 1917.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

wf/vm@ I L. Jost A TTOH/VEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAWRENCE JOST, OF NORTH BERGEN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO OSCAR SCHMIDT, INC.,

0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

f KEY-ZITH ER.

Application filed August 9, 1916.

To all whom z't may concern Be it known that I, LAWRENCE Josr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of North Bergen, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Key-Zither, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to Zithers and simi lar instruments in which the strings are operated by key-actuated hammers, and the invention has to deal more particularly with zithers of that type disclosed in United States Letters Patent 1,176,458, granted to me March 21, 1916.

The invention has for its general objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of instruments of the character referred to so as to be comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, reliable and efficient in use, and of durable and substantial design.

Vith such objects in view, and others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particu@ larity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the Zither with the improved keyboard;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, drawn full size;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the hammer anchoring bar;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the back plate of the keyboard;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a modified construction Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of hammer-supporting bar; and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the bar.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the body of the Zither which is provided with the usual pairs of melody strings 1 and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

Serial No. 113,875.

accompaniment strings 2 arranged in the usual manner. The keyboard B is mounted wholly on top of the body of the instrument over the melody strings. The keyboard includes a plurality of pushbuttons or keys 3 which lie directly over the spring shanks 5 of the hammers 4 so as to push the latter downwardly into striking engagement with the strings 1. The springs 5 of the hammers are anchored in a bar 6 by the rear ends of the springs being cast in such bar, and the latter is fastened by means of screws 7 to the beveled edge 8 of the body A. The stress of the springs 5 normally holds the hammers 4 raised, but the upward movement of the same is limited by the keyboard, which has a cushioning strip of felt 9 or equivalent material against which the hammers strike in moving upwardly away from the strings.

The keyboard comprises a wooden bar 10 which has openings 11 for the keys 3, such openings 11 being each counterhored to provide an internal shoulder 1Q which is adapt ed to engage an annular shoulder 13 on the key, whereby the downward movement of the key is limited. On the stem 14 of the key is a head 15 formed of felt or equivalent material which engages the spring 5 of the adjacent key, and this felt forms an enlargement engageable with the hoard 10 to prevent the key from being removed. The board 10 is held in place by being fastened by screws or equivalent means 16 to a metal top plate 17, the ends of which are bent downwardly into flanges 18, as shown in Fig. 4, to engage the outer faces of vertical end plates 19. These end plates have their lower edges formed into base ianges 20 through which screws 21 pass to fasten the end plates to the body of the instrument. The upper edges of the end plates are bent into inwardly extending iianges 22 that engage under' the top plate 17, and over the board 10. A filling piece of cardboard 23 is insert-ed between the top plate 17 and board 10. It will be understood that the top plate and lling piece are provided with apertures 24 and 25 in which the keys slide. The forward edge of the top plate 17 projects beyond the board 10 and is bent upwardly in the form of an inclined flange 26 which has its upper surface provided with a scale 27 for the strings l, and under this flange is the cushioning material 9 for the hammers. 'llo improve the appearance a front plate 27 is applied to the front of the keyboard, this plate being of such height as to extend from the bottom l of the body A to the cover plate 17, which latter has a downwardly extending flange 28 at its front edge to lie over the top edge of the front plate 27. rlhis front plate 27 is fastened to the body by screws 29. ylhe front plate extends beyond the keyboard and has its left upper corner portion bent into a hood 30 which overlies the pins 31 and bridge 32 of the accompaniment strings 2, as clearly shown in l? ig. 3, there being a block 33 fastened to the body and to the hood so as to improve the appearance of the device and conceal the pins.

ln the construction shown in Fig. 7 the body A of the Zither is not beveled to receive the bar 6 in which the hammers are mounted. rlhis bar is provided with triangular lugs 6, the bases 6b of which rest on the top surface of the Zither body A. Ihe bar is fastened by screws s which pass through apertures a; that extend through the lugs 6a. By means of this construction the hammer-anchoring bar is firmly fastened to the body of the Zither without the latter having to be beveled.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while l have described the principle of operation, together with the device which l now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, l desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.l

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. rlhe combination of a Zither body, strings thereon, hammers for striking the strings, a bar in which the hammers are mounted and cast and which is fasteneddirectly to the top of the body, and a keyboard mounted on top of the body and having keys engageable with the hammers, the front edge of the keyboard being substantially flush with the front of the body.

2. A Zither comprising a body, a bar extending across the same at one end and having lugs bearing against the top surface of the body, fasteners passing through the bar and securing the same to the body, hammers anchored in the bar, and strings on the body in coperative relation with the hammers.

3. A Zither of the class described comprising a body, strings mounted thereon, hammers for striking the strings, means fastening the hammers on the top surface of the body, a keyboard disposed over the hammers, end plates fastened to the top of the body and supporting the keyboard, and keys mounted in the keyboard and engageable with the hammers.

A. A Zither of the class described comprising a body, a group of strings on the body, hammers fastened to the body and arranged to strike the strings, upright plates fastened to the top of the body at opposite sides of the group of strings, an apertured board fastened to the said plates, keys slidably mounted in the board and arranged to engage the hammers, a top plate overlying the board and through which the keys extend, the rear edge of the top plate being formed into a rest against which the hammers strike, and a cushion underlying the forward portion of the top plate.

5. A Zither of the class described comprising a body, a group of melody strings thereon, a group of accompaniment strings on the body, a keyboard extending over the melody strings, a front plate fastened to the body and extending the full width thereof and having a portion coextensive with the keyboard and another portion bent into a hood disposed over the front ends of the accompaniment strings.

6. A Zither of the class described comprising a body, separate groups of melody and accompaniment strings, vertical plates eX- 1V" tending upwardly from the top of the body and disposed at opposite sides of the group of melody strings, a horizontal plate carried by the first-mentioned plates and having apertures, keys disposed in the apertures, hammers fastened to the body and disposed under the keys, and a front plate fastened to the rear face of the body and extending upwardly to the said key-carrying plate and from one upright vertical plate to L the other and having a portion bent over the front ends of the accompaniment strings.

7. A Zither body having strings on its top surface, pegs in the top surface for holding the ends of the strings, a hammer bar fastened to the top surface at a point in front of the pegs, and hammers anchored in the said bar.

8. A Zither body having strings on its top surface, pegs in the top surface for holding the ends of the strings, a hammer bar fastened to the top surface at a point in front of the pegs, hammers anchored in the said bar, and a key board disposed wholly 1 over the said top surface and having means for engaging and actuating the hammers.

9. rlhe combination of a Zither body, strings on the top thereof, pegs in the top surface to which the strings are connected, a hammer bar fastened to the body at a point lSO in front of the pegs and disposed behind the front face of the Zither body, and hammers anchored in the said bar.

10. The combination of a Zither body, f

strings on the top thereof, pegs in the top surface to which the strings are connected, a hammer-bar fastened to the body at a point in front of the pegs and disposed behind the front face of the Zither body, hammers anchored in the said bar, and a key board supported on the top surface of the body and rearwardly from ythe front face thereof and including keys for engaging and actuating the hammers.

11. In a Zither, a plurality of spring hammers and a bar in which the hammers are anchored, said bar having lugs on one face to ooperate with the bar to form a supporting base lying in a plane oblique to the plane of the hammers.

LAWRENCE J OST.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

